Ripples
by Arosa Bold Knight
Summary: A one-shot, set between Season Three and Season Four of The Clone Wars. Ahsoka can feel the darkness growing in the Galaxy and is worried by it. The terrible, recent events she experienced on Wasskah aren't helping. Fortunately, Yoda knows a way to defeat the rising darkness.…


**A/N:**** I know it's already been done by other authors several times. But I really wanted to have a go at writing my take on what happened to Ahsoka after the events in Wookiee Hunt. (Seriously, the idea for this one-shot has been nagging at me for days. I had to do something about it! :) )**

**The storyline is my own work. But I don't own The Clone Wars.**

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_Kalifa's death._

_Blaster bolts narrowly missing her face._

_The darkness closing in on her._

_Blood dribbling all over her hands. _

_The Trandoshan lizard's hiss as he hunted for her. _

_Garnac's knife arcing towards her forehead._

_The sheer terror of knowing that no one was there, and that only she could save herself….._

Ahsoka gasped as she woke up, sitting bolt upright in her bed. Warily, she looked around her small room. There was nothing there, just like all the other times she had woken up that night and checked. Panting and shaking, the Padawan lay back down, trying to stop thinking about the nightmare.

Ever since she had gotten back from Wasskah, sleeping was torture. Images of death, feelings of despair and being chased haunted her dreams. The Torgruta groaned. She had managed to overcome the fear during her time on Island Four. She had even attacked the airbase and defeated Garnac, the Trandoshan's leader, singlehandedly.

So, why couldn't she simply sleep in a very safe room in an even more secure Temple? Ahsoka shuddered. After everything she had been through, nowhere felt safe. She twisted over, trying to find a more comfortable position to sleep in. But no matter how much she turned and rolled over, nothing worked.

Eventually giving up on sleeping altogether, the Padawan decided to go for a walk. She wished she knew someone else who understood how she felt. Perhaps she could go see one of the youngling who had also been on the island with her? Ahsoka briefly considered it, but realised that Jinx and O-Mer would probably be getting some much needed sleep. She also thought about talking to her Master, but rejected the idea almost immediately. Anakin wasn't really the sort of Jedi you could come running to in the middle of the night telling him you were afraid of the dark and bad dreams. Besides, he had been so proud when she had walked off the bounty hunters ship and told him that his teachings were the reason she survived. She didn't want to ruin that, or make him think that she was a wimpy Padawan.

But the truth was that adrenaline had taken over on the island, and excitement had made her seem confident as she was reunited with her friends. However, there was no adrenaline right now, and the excitement had faded long ago. Now she had the fear of being alone and vulnerable. She had the memories of death and darkness.

Ahsoka couldn't help but think that she had grown on the island. But not in a good way. She had been innocent and believing before. Now, she was cautious and admittedly a little afraid. When she looked at the world around her, Ahsoka had once taken in the beauty and goodness. But now, she could only feel darkness. And it was growing.

Giving up on talking to anyone about her fears and nightmares, Ahsoka decided to head to the Room of a Thousand Fountains. The clear pools of water and tall green trees created a beautiful place to relax in. The Room was even prettier at night, when glow rods were turned on, making the water shine and the trees light up.

Upon exiting her room, Ahsoka checked that her lightsabers were firmly clipped to her belt. She also looked down the corridor, making sure she was alone. As the Torgruta caught sight of the shadows cast by the pillars down the hall, she shuddered slightly. Holding her shoto, inactivated, the Torgruta walked cautiously past the columns of stone. Once she had passed them, she fought the urge to run the rest of the way. Instead, she took a deep breath and concentrated on walking calmly, telling herself that nothing was there.

Ahsoka wasn't very good at convincing herself, though. The walk was a very nerve-racking one and she arrived at the Room of a Thousand Fountains with her heart racing.

However, the fear disappeared when Ahsoka entered the Room. She smiled as she looked at the glittering water. Walking amongst the glowing trees created a calm atmosphere and Ahsoka headed over to her favourite spot.

She had found this spot when she was a youngling, recovering from a hard training mission. The place was a large flat rock at the edge of a waterfall fed pool. Here, trees surrounded the rock, making a beautiful sheltered place to sit.

Ahsoka took her boots off and dipped her feet into the shimmering water, gasping a little at the coldness off the pool. She leaned back, looking around the trees, making sure she was alone. The Padawan often meditated here, but right now Ahsoka didn't want to close her eyes. You never knew what might be lurking beyond the closed lids if you did. Instead, she watched the ripples her feet had created in the water.

Somewhere close, a branch broke. Ahsoka leapt up, grabbing her lightsabers as she scanned the trees around her.

"Troubled you are, Padawan?" A voice asked at her side. Ahsoka jumped as she glanced down. To her great surprise, she saw Master Yoda standing there, looking up at her.

"Master Yoda!" Ahsoka said, bowing to the Grand Master. "Ummm… No, well maybe… umm I guess… yes I am?" The Torgruta stammered out, mentally kicking herself for coming up with such a stupid answer. She had looked every part the perfect Padawan earlier today when she had first gotten back. That image was completely ruined now.

"Given me three choices, you have. Never can it be said that you don't answer a question fully, Padawan Tano," Yoda chuckled as he sat down on a smaller rock, gently setting his gimmer stick down beside the pool.

"Yes, Master," Ahsoka replied as she clipped her lightsabers back to her belt and sat down with him. "Honestly, I'm afraid. What I saw on Wasskah frightened me. Kalifa dying, the lizards hunting me and the feeling that I was alone. The darkness was growing, and only I could save myself,"

"By darkness, mean what do you?" Yoda asked.

Ahsoka pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She often sat like that when she was worried. "I used to think the darkness was just my fear. But, I'm beginning wonder if it's the Force as well. The Galaxy has grown darker. Maybe the Force is warning us of something extremely evil coming? Can you feel it?"

Yoda sighed, and suddenly Ahsoka got the feeling that he was very tired. "Grown dark indeed, the Galaxy has become," the Grand Master replied sadly as he looked out across the pool. "Clouded the Force has become. Evil coming, indeed there is. What, though, difficult to sense is,"

Ahsoka frowned. "Can we stop it?" she asked.

"Destroy darkness, we cannot. Make choices, people do. Learn about the Force, trust the Force, become one with the Force we can. But control it completely? Impossible that is," Yoda said.

"If we can't destroy the darkness, can we fight it?" Ahsoka pondered.

"Change the will of the Force, we cannot. Not our place to, is it. But, defeat the darkness in our minds we can. Makes the Galaxy lighter that does. Each kind word to someone else, every smile makes the Galaxy a better place to be. And helping others, helps ourselves also," Yoda reflected as he gently tossed a small pebble into the pool. "Saw the pebble, did you?" he asked.

"Yes Master," Ahsoka replied as she watched the glittering water splash up. She was slightly confused about what Yoda was doing. But, the Padawan didn't have to wait long for the Grand Master to explain.

"A small stone, it was. Yet, a big ripple it created. Like this are our actions. If your actions are good, so will the Galaxy be," The Grand Master said, gesturing at the ripples with his walking cane.

"So, if I can let go of my fear, it would help defeat my darkness. Then, I can reach out to others and help them. And, maybe one day the dark side will fade a little and the light side will grow," Ahsoka mused.

"Correct you are, Padawan Tano. Your fear, feeds the dark side of the Force it does. The dark side: made of evil thoughts, greed and fear it is. But, feeds the light side does joy and kindness. Be full of happiness, peace and compassion. And, become full of the light side, you will." Yoda said, smiling as he stood and picked his gimmer staff up. Ahsoka also stood up and bowed to the Grand Master. She was surprised when Yoda bowed back before turning and walking away.

As she watched the Master leave, Ahsoka smiled. The Padawan decided that the next chance she had to help someone, she would take fully.

And then, she walked back to her room unafraid and slept soundly.

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-_Two Weeks Later_-

Ahsoka smiled as she ran back to her quarters. She had just gotten back from a Council briefing. Skyguy was in trouble and needed reinforcements. He and Senator Amidala had gone to Mon Calamari to help the peace talks there. But the negotiations had gone wrong and backup was being called for immediately. Ahsoka and Master Fisto would be leading the reinforcements.

The Mon Calamarian's leader was Prince Lee-Char. He was young and inexperienced. Ahsoka decided that if he ever was unsure or afraid of something, she would talk to him about fear and how acting on it often made everything worse. She could tell him that she was once afraid, but not anymore.

And like the pebble Yoda had shown her, the words she told the young leader would have a ripple effect.

Maybe they would help make Mon Calamari's Prince become strong and sure of himself. Then, the planet would be in good hands and the people would be safe.

Or maybe Prince Lee-Char would pass those words on to someone else who needed them, helping another person to heal and grow.

And then a little piece of the rising darkness in the Galaxy would be defeated.

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**Thank you for reading! **


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